“Dan brought such a special and unique story to racing. That’s what it’s about,” Hildebrand said in a team release. “It’s not that we’re comparing our era to his, or me as a driver to him, but we are honoring this legacy that he’s left. That’s obviously a lot of what I am passionate about in the sport.”

“I’m excited to get back for year two with these guys,” he said. “We learned a lot last year about working together as a group and I’m really confident that we’re going to come back this year stronger than we were.”

Dreyer & Reinbold is entering two cars for the Indy 500, with Sage Karam also attempting the race for the team for the fourth consecutive year (and fifth time in the last six).

“With JR and Sage, we have two very talented young drivers who can compete for the win on May 26,” owner Dennis Reinbold said. “Plus, running the No. 48 in honor of Dan Gurney is exciting for me and our team. Dan was one of my heroes as a kid and it will be great to have the No. 48 back at IMS.”

Gurney, who died last year at 86 years old, drove for many years across multiple racing disciplines, including nine starts in the Indy 500 with a best finish of second in 1968 and 1969.

The 103rd Indy 500 will be broadcast for the first time on NBC on May 26 at 11 a.m. ET.

About Bryan Nolen

Bryan Nolen currently goes to the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting at Full Sail. He would like to be involved in some aspect of Motor Sports after he completes school. He hosts a podcast that is on Apple Podcasts and Google Play called Sports Talk with Bryan and TB and lives in Boise, Idaho. Follow him on Twitter @TheBryanNolen

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One comment

This team is always a dark horse to win the Indy 500. They can win it with these drivers. JR proved he can win the 500 even if he came a few hundred feet short. The main reason Wheldon passed JR coming to finish line was because Dan ran every lap after his final pit stop as a qualifying lap, flat out. If he didn’t do that JR would of limped across the finish line as a winner followed close behind by Wheldon. Listen to Dan’s victory circle interview. Sage Karam has lots of talent and speed. He just needs racing savvy and stick to the big picture. First you must finish!